{Yn POV}
Douxie is holding me to his chest protectively as the knights surrounding us continue to point their swords at us.
His hand squeezes mine slightly.
My eyes keep shifting between fuzzy and clear as I try to focus on what's happening
"What manner of sorcery is this?" I hear the knight say
He pulls off his helmet to reveal Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur's top knights
I can hear Steve let out an awestruck "Woah" at the sight of Lancelot
Douxie starts to speak with the knight
"Sir Lancelot, um-"
"He's so handsome," I hear Steve say
"I- We-" Douxie struggles to explain our situation before the sword is thrust in his face once more
I can feel his grip on me tighten out of reflex
"Wait! Aren't you Merlin's errand boy? And her his maid?"
"Apprentices," Douxie and I say with annoyance
"He's like an angel man" Steve continues to admire the knight and leans on the stone Jim was in. The stone starts to break and Steve yells out in surprise
We all back away, Douxie helping me to stand up off the ground, as the stone shatters freeing Jim.
I lean on him as Jim sits up from the stone, the knights gasping in surprise at his appearance
"What? How did I-" Jim starts to say in confusion
Claire rushes to his side
"Jim! Are you okay?"
"Troll. Troll! To arms!" Lancelot shouts causing the knights to ready for attack
I push off of Douxie and rush over to block the Knights from Jim shouting a "No!"
Douxie runs to my side and tries to reason with the knight
"Wait! Chill out, lads!"
"Chill? Out?" Lancelot repeats, confused
"Take a breath, all right? He's one of the good ones."
"There are no good ones," Lancelot pushes Douxie to the ground
I kneel at his side to check on him then turn back to Lancelot
"Monsters are forbidden in Arthur's lands. You'll hang before the king for your insolence."
My blood runs cold at this. Both out of fear, and anger.
"Woah he even talks like an angel. Wait, what's an insolence?" Steve says before he is pushed forward by one of the knights.
We are all forced to our feet. Steve and Claire are forced to bind their hands.
Jim is put into a covered cage to keep him contained and out of the sun.
Given that Douxie and I were with Merlin we were allowed to walk freely without being tied.
We are forced forwards as we walk towards the castle
Steve shouts at the knights to let him go and give him his rights to a phone call.
"There are no phone calls here Steve. We don't have the same rights in this time period."
Steve scoffs
"This place was cooler flying."
I slightly nod my head in silent agreement.
We walk through the streets and I meet eyes with the citizens lining the road to watch us walk by. Their curiosity obvious.
Jim suddenly speaks up
"Claire? What happened? Why are we at a Renn Faire?" He reached out to her, but gasps out in pain as the sun burns his troll skin.
"Jim!" Claire shouts in worry
"We're prisoners in the, uh, dark ages," Douxie tells Jim
"I'd say mid-12th century," I add on, "With no way home."
Steve yelps out as a soldier pulls him forward
"It's not an ideal situation," Douxie continues with an awkward smile
"Ideal? Jim has a shard of evil magic in his chest!" CLaire says slightly annoyed
I can tell she's worried.
Truth be told, so am I.
"Actually, I'm still hurt, but it feels different somehow." Jim points out
Douxie and I walk closer to inspect it
"Mordrax's miracles, he's right! When we jumped back in time, it must have frozen the corruption in place." Douxie says
"So for as long as we're here, he won't need to worry about the shard moving anymore." I point out
"Uh, seems I missed a lot. Don't you two work at the cafe?" Jim says confused
"Part-time," Douxie says with a smirk, "And thanks for always tipping, by the way."
"Yeah, helps us fund our... other, occupations," I say
"They're Merlin's apprentices. It's a long story." Claire clarifies
Douxie gives a small solute as I tip a fake top hat
"Open the gate!" We turn out heads as Lancelot shouts to the guards, "We have foreigners awaiting judgment for King Arthur."
"Nah, no worries. Camelot's my old turf. Just follow my lead. Be inconspicuous" Doux says confidently
I snicker at this and he sends me a look
I avert my face and miss the soft smile he gives me once my head is turned
The gates are opened and we are led through to the King's throne room
We walk into the room and Jim is thrown to the ground.
The king is talking to Galahad
"Gunmar's threatening our borders. Double our patrols."
Galahad leaves with his instructions and Arthur turns to us
Steve smiles at the king and salutes
Douxie and I bow
Claire bows as well with an annoyed look.
Jim is forced onto his knees by the knight restraining him.
"Here are the trespassers, my lord," Lancelot tells the king
"A troll? I thought I made it clear, your kind are unwelcome when I banished you all from the realm." King Arthur states as he seats himself on his throne
"Don't you mean 'betrayed'?" A voice replies
My blood runs cold as Morgana walks in front of us all
I stare at her. I had forgotten what she was like before the betrayal.
I respected her and her ideals. I agreed with her about the king's treatment of the trolls.
But that didn't excuse what she did
I feel a hand slip into mine and I glance over to see Douxie already looking at me
He squeezes my hand as if to tell me it was alright
I squeezed back and turned to face the king once more.
"Morgana!" Claire says angrily as she starts forwards
I quickly grab her shoulders and pull her back
"Inconspicuous, remember?" Douxie reminds her
He then clears his throats and I release Claire
"You gave the woods to enchanted creatures like these. You'd break that vow?" Morgana says to her brother
"These beasts care not, especially not this spy of Gunmar's!"
Jim fights against the knight holding him as he angrily retaliates
"Stop calling me a beast!" He is forced down by Lancelot as he registers the name Arthur had spoken, "Wait. Gunmar?"
Douxie walks in front of the King with me following beside him
"Your highness, ahem, it's good to see you again," he says awkwardly with a small bow
I follow his lead and bow as well
"And you two are?" Arthur questions us
"Hisirdioux and Yn, Merlin's apprentices. We can assure you he is no threat." Douxie says in reference to Jim
"That's my judgment to make, boy," Arthur says
"Trolls are born of magic," Morgana says as she sends a golden light over towards Arthur, "as you are of blood. How is their nature a crime?" The light forms into a golden rose next to the king
Arthur stands up as he explains himself
"When they ravage our lands, take our loved ones from us," He crushes the rose with his hand. The petals float over to the empty seat where the queen once sat, "I made these laws to hold this fragile land together, and they will be abided! Leave the wood, the penalty is death."
"What? No! Wait, wait! I'm not a troll!" Jim pleads as he is forced towards the sunlight shining into the room.
"No, wait! Don't kill him!" I shout reaching towards him
A knight comes forwards and holds me back
"Whoa, hold- hold on! Isn't this a bit hasty?" Douxie says as he also reaches towards Jim only to have another knight hold him back as well.
"Bring him into the sunlight!" Arthur orders
Jim struggles as he is forces forwards
Claire calls out to him as she and Steve move forward. More knights only holding them back too
Jim's face hits the sun as he yells out in pain
I struggle against the knight but his grip is strong
I debate using my magic but that could screw everything up even more
I'm about to use it anyways when Claire suddenly yells out "Stop!"
The room darkens and the sunlight is blocked, saving Jim
I freeze at the feeling
This could only be from one thing
"Shadow magic," Morgana says, voicing my thoughts.
Shadow magic. The same magic Morgana had used against me.
I remember the cold feeling all too well
I instinctively step closer to Douxie
Arthur doesn't hesitate to accuse Morgana of the shadows
"Morgana... is this your witchery? Cease it at once!"
"Just because you're scared of him doesn't mean he shouldn't exist!" Claire says as she rushes to Jim's side, "It doesn't make him evil."
"But it makes him dangerous. I will not fail to protect my kingdom." Arthur retaliates as he walks towards the couple
"If you give in to fear, that is failing," Claire argues back
Morgana steps forward once more
"The girl speaks truth. Please listen to her."
Arthur considers for a moment
"Fine. I will show the troll mercy. He will live... in the dungeon."
Morgana bows in thanks as Jim is led away
Claire tries to go after him but Douxie stops her
"He's alive. We'll get him out eventually. Just trust me."
Arthur turns his attention to us
"As for you, Hisirdoux, shouldn't you and that girl be with Merlin?"
"Uh, yes. Well, we were busy recruiting these two. They're here to help us in the- in the war! This is Claire of the house of Nunez," Douxie says motioning to her. He then gestures to Steve, "And this is..."
"The village idiot." I finish for him
Steve rushes up to us when he realizes we are talking about him
"Oh, me? I'm just an 'in-so-lent' knight. All-state champ! Sir Steve of Palchukia!"
I visibly cringe at his words and I see Douxie doing the same
"Hmm, if you truly be friends of Camelot, then prove your worth. Hisirdoux, you and the girl rejoin Merlin. Sir Steve, to Lancelot in the barracks. As for you, Mistress Claire-"
I bite my tongue as Arthur doesn't address me by name. One of the things I didn't miss about Camelot was how I was treated as nothing more than Merlin's maid. Even when I told people I was his apprentice they still thought it was just a title Merlin had given me to make me feel important.
"I'll take the girl. I could use a new handmaiden." Morgana steps up
Claire visibly objects to this but Douxie tells her to calm herself.
"It is done," Arthur agrees, "Now, out! I have a kingdom to protect."
We all bowed as we left the Throne room
We walk to a storage area which most likely will be our room for however long we end up staying
We file and in Douxie closes the door behind us
"Well, that went better than expected." He says with a smile
"I'll say." I agree
"Are you kidding?" Claire shouts at us, "Jim's in prison and I'm the servant of a sorceress who tried to kill me."
"Even worse, I cant get a signal!" Steve says waving his phone around
I ignore him and turn my attention to Claire
"Fair point," I say, "But she hasn't technically done any of that yet. As of right now, she is more or less a good person."
"I don't care! We aren't supposed to be here. We should be home, together, helping our friends in the present. Their present. The Future! Whatever!" Claire shouts as she curls up and begins to cry
I kneel down and hug her. She hugs me back almost immediately.
"We can't return home... yet," Douxie says as he also kneels down, "Look, Merlin always insisted we never mess with time. We'll have to find a way back without screwing up history, or there won't be a future to go home to."
Claire pulls away and meets eyes with Douxie
"Aw, man! Just like in that movie Future Warrior 3, when the robots killed Alfred Einstein." Steve points out
"Actually more like Future Warrior 2 where the warrior's people are all killed off and he has to go back in time to save them by defeating the Spider army," I reply
"Ooooooh, makes sense," Steve says
"You've watched those movies?" Douxie asks me
"Yeah, I saw them with Charlie, the guy who used to work at the cafe. We saw the trilogy all at once because the theatre was holding a screening."
"Oh, so you two went on a... date?" Douxie asks sounding tense
"No," I reply simply, "He wanted it to be a date but I told him we would only ever be friends. I'm pretty sure that's why he quit a few days later." I huff out a laugh at the memory
I look over to see Douxie visibly relax. Why did he get so tense about the thought of me going on a date?
"So how do we get home?" Claire says bringing us back to the matter at hand, "You two are the wizard experts here."
I think for a second before I get an idea
"The time map!" I say, "It's here with Merlin!"
"Yeah! It can show us the way back to the present without damaging the past. Great thinking Yn!" Douxie says
Steve hops over and leans on Douxies shoulder
I smirk at Douxies uncomfortable face
"Then what ware we waiting for Dumbledork? Let's go get the time thingy!" Steve says as Douxie pushes his arm off of him
"What about Jim?" Claire asks
"Lake's probably safer down there than we are up here." Steve says
"Surprisingly he's actually right for once," I say in agreement, "Jim is safer down there until we can find a way to get all of us home safely."
"It's settled. We'll play our roles and stay out of trouble while Yn and I get the map." Douxie says
We all nod and then head out. Claire heading off to meet Morgana and Steve heading to the sparring grounds to meet the knights.
Douxie and I begin to head towards Merlin's study.
{Douxie POV}
As Yn and I are walking I can't help but think about what she said before
I had gotten so jealous at the thought that she may have dated someone else
I knew I had feelings for her but I thought I could get away with just being friends
But the thought of her with someone else-
I can't handle it
We reach the door and hear Merlin talking
"Hisirdoux, do you have feet for hands? All the Slorr Juice? You know how long it takes to milk one of those?"
"Sorry, sir. I was just trying to save time."
I peek around the corner to see my younger self standing with Archie
I immediately notice the man bun sitting atop my head and groan
"Ugh, that hair was a mistake."
I hear Yn quietly laugh and I look over at her
"I dunno, you look awfully cute." She says
I give her a look. But I can't help but smile at her comment
And her laugh
I would sell my soul just to hear her laugh more
We turn back to the room.
I remember when this happened.
I roll my eyes and tell Yn "I remember this."
I then begin to act out everything Merlin said and did
I hear Yn laughing again so I continue with my antics
"Your cutting corners has only cost me time. It's hard enough creating Arthur's new weapon without your mucking about. I need you in the workshop, and you're milking the Slorr."
Merlin then leaves and I back up as my past self begins to clean up
"I'll admit, you do a good impression of the old man." She says to me
"Why thank you, m'lady," I say as I overexaggerate a bow to her
I then turn back to the room as my past self begins to leave
"Well. here's to hoping this doesn't break the time-space continuum."
"If it does, we can just blame Steve," Yn says with a shrug
I laugh quietly and shake my head
I cast a quick spell, changing Yn and me into our clothes from back when we were in this time
I then run through the room and I jump Archie and past me, silencing myself with my hand over his mouth.
He yelps and pushes out of my grasp
I awkwardly rub my neck as I address him
"Um, hey, me."
"Aah! Doppelganger! You- you're me. I'm me!"
"Or neither of you is really you and we are all just dreaming," Yn says standing behind past me
He jumps in surprise and turns to look at her
"Ah! Yn, you gave me a heart attack. Do you see me standing over there I don't know if- wait a sec, what happened to your head?" Past Douxie asks her as he reaches his hand towards the wound I had closed this morning
Yn laughs slightly and says
"Tis but a scratch. I'm fine. Also, I'm not your Yn."
"What?!" past me shouts
"Yeah, the me from this time is currently in her room cleaning up from a magic spell gone wrong. She'll most likely be joining us later."
I nod in understanding and direct my attention back to myself.
Past me, however, continues to freak out
"No need to panic," I say trying to calm him
"Well, how- how.. wait, this can only mean one thing."
"Time travel paradox," He and I say at the same time.
"Double Doxuies? This is a disaster!" Archie says
"I'll say" Yn adds with a joking smirk
I mock offense
"Give me a break! Oh, wow. This is wild!" past me and myself say at the same time
I realize we need to get back on track
"Let's focus on the here and now," I start as past me begins to examine me. I shake him off and continue "Where having two of us will be-"
"-will be a logistical nightmare" Archie finishes
"I agree, uh, so the easiest solution-" past me begins
"Is for one of is to go away till I return to my time," I say as I type out the sleep spell on my bracelet.
"Great idea! But which one of us-?" I interrupt my past self with the spell
"Interminus nocti sluumberso!"
Past me falls asleep and I use magic to put him in the closet
We then hear footsteps coming our way
I grab Yn and hide us behind some barrels
"Douxie?" I hear a soft voice yell, "Doux, where are you?"
I peek over to see a young Yn looking around for me.
er- past me
The closet door suddenly opens and past me falls out
Past yn yells in surprise but is suddenly knocked out with the spell I used
"oops- probably should have explained everything to her before I knocked her out," Yn says, "oh well. Too late now."
A F/C hue surrounds her as Yn uses her magic to place her in the cupboard next to past me.
We close the doors once more and I turn back to see Archie giving me a look
"I know this looks bad, but I swear I've got this under control," I tell him
"If that were true, things in the future have really changed," Archie replies
"Ha ha." I say sarcastically
"To be fair they have changed a lot," Yn points out, "for one your voice isn't so high Doux."
"That's because puberty decided he had been through enough already. Especially with that hairstyle. It had to give him something," Archie adds on
He and Yn both laughed and high-fived while I stand there, offended.
"Ouch, that hurt."
Yn walks over and hugs me
"Awe don't take it seriously. You know we love you."
Even though she had said "We" I still blushed at her words.
She pulled away and I cleared my throat, returning my attention to Archie
"Right, well. Just don't go blabbering to Merlin, okay? We need to stay incognito."
Just as I say that past me and Yn fall out of the cupboard and into me, knocking me to the ground
"Fine. This should be fun to watch." Archie says as Yn uses her magic to put them back into the cupboard
"Hisirdoux, what is taking so long?" Melin shouts to me
"Just cleaning up another mess," I shout back
I use magic to grab all my things as I put my hair into a bun
"Swore I'd never do this again," I say
Yn laughs from beside me
We enter Merlin's workshop and I sneak around and put the supplies on the table.
Merlin and Morgana are arguing about Arthur and his prejudice.
I give a nod to Yn and we begin to look around the shop for the time map while Merlin was occupied.
I suddenly spot it on a shelf and I motion to Yn.
We begin to sneak towards but as I reach for it, Merlins spell blasts around the room and I duck to avoid the projectile, covering Yn's head to shield her as well.
A gnome runs off after his jar is smashed
"Blast it all! Hisirdioux, yn, stop gawking about and give me a hand with those raw ores over there!" Merlin says while rubbing his temple.
"Apologies, master." Yn and I say in sync.
We grab the ores and bring them to the table. Morgana and Merlin still arguing.
"How many failures before you realize this amulet of yours is pointless?"
"I hear your concerns, but trust me, the amulet will bring peace."
I am saddened by their conversation. I remember it all happening. The arguments. The betrayals.
All of it leading up to the war.
I look to Yn and she seems to be mirroring my feelings.
"At the cost of all we hold dear!" Morganna says as her magic levitates multiple items in the room including the ore Yn and I had brought over
I look over to Morganna in shock. Half expecting her to use her magic against us
"How long before he comes for us? You're a fool, Merlin. And an old one at that."
She leaves the room and everything that had been suspended drops
I try to lighten the mood as I turn to Merlin
"Oh, forget her. We got this right?" I raise my hand for a high five but Merlin just looks at it in confusion
"What is this strangeness? Put your hand down."
Fuzzbuckets. I forgot high fives don't exist yet
I quickly try to save myself
"It's a high-five. It's a sign of victory amongst barbarian tribes." I say as I grab his hand and high five him
"It's a new thing" Yn adds on, helping me out
"Human customs are terribly odd" Archie points out, yn nodding in agreement
"Indeed. You two don't seem yourselves today. Well, except for your inability to tidy up."
I reach for the time map but just as I do so Merlin's magic levitates it and other things and places them into his safe.
Yn and I sag our shoulders in disappointment.
So close
"No more distractions, go milk the slorr," Merlin says waving Yn and me off
"But I-" I try to reason with him
"Dismissed," He says sternly, ending the interaction
Yn and I leave the room dejected.
"I'm very impressed at how remarkably bad you are at impersonating yourselves," Archie says as we all head towards the Slorr pen.
{Yn POV}
We arrive at the slorr's cage.
Douxie is holding the bucket as we stare into the darkness.
The door opens and Douxie and I look at each other
"Have fun Doux" I say with a smile
"No no no, you are coming with me. I am not doing this alone." Douxie replies
"I'm not stepping in there!" I say, "I have a doctor's note."
Douxie gives me a look and rolls his eyes as he goes in alone.
"Hey, girl. Just gonna... just gonna come in for a quick little milking. Just gonna be one little squeeze."
The Slorr roars and I hear Douxie yell out as slime shoots out at Archie and I
I duck behind some barrels to shield myself
There's another roar and another wave of slime
"It's in my mouth!" Douxie cries out
I snicker and look over to Archie with amusement
But then something behind him catches my eye
I widen them as recognition hits me
I look back to the cage and debate waiting for Douxie
But I decide I can't risk him getting too far away
"Stay with Douxie, Arch, I have to go take care of something"
"Sure," Archie says as I run off, chasing after what I saw.
I run through the town and weave between people as I follow the grey tail
[Flashback]
Magnus and Yn meet
I ran as fast as my legs would allow
Tripping over roots and rocks
Scraping my knees and feet till they were raw
But I kept going. I wasn't going to let them catch me
I hear shouts and I look back to see lights in the distance
They were catching up, fast
I turn back and fall flat on my face.
I look down to see I had tripped on a small cat
Blood stained his white and grey splotched fur
He was clearly hurt and wet. He looked as tho he was on the verge of death
I quickly scooped him in my arms
I looked back to see they had all caught up
I quickly turned my back and shielded the cat, holding him to my chest
They ran right past me
I didn't dare breath
I waited until their shouts faded into the distance
I looked up to see the trees around me had used their branches to shield me from view
I touched the branch with my hand and silently thanked it
I then looked back down at the cat in my arms
He needed help.
I continued to run until eventually I ran into town and snuck into an abandoned house
I wrapped the cat in some blankets and snuck out to try and find a medical stand of sorts
I spotted one, so I stole some bandages and left
I returned to the home and wrapped up the cat
I fell asleep laying next to him
After a few weeks, the cat healed
I then learned he could talk
He was a familiar
A partner to witches and wizards
He decided he wanted to stay with me and I gladly accepted his company
His name was Magnus
We became best of friends
Wizard and Familiar
Together
for what we thought would be forever...
[Present]
I chase him to a small shop where the cat stops and hops onto some barrels
He then turns around to face me
I see his eyes
His purple eyes with the gold flecks
And at that moment,
I know.
It's him.
It's really him.
[Flashback]
The First Battle at Killahead Bridge
I ran through the woods as the sounds of battle raged around me
"Yn!" I hear Douxie cry out
I look over to see him looking around desperately for me
"Right here Doux!" I say
That was my mistake
The trolls heard my call and charged at me
Douxie was swarmed as well, he couldn't get to me in time
I tried to use magic, but there were too many
"Yn! Watch out!" I turn around only to be pushed out of the way as a gumm-gumm lowers his weapon
I sit up quickly and see Magnus surrounded by the gumm-gumms
He had transformed into his large cat form and threw me out of the way
The gumm-gumms attack and he tries to fend them off
But there's too many
They strike him one after the other
Forcing him onto the ground
I try to run over and help, but a force of some sort stops me
"Mag! NO!" I shout, reaching out towards him
He had used his magic to stop me from coming near
He was saving me by sacrificing himself.
He looks at me one last time before releasing a spell, killing the gumm-gumms around him
The force field drops and I race over
I see his body laying on the ground
Blood covered his fur and I remember that time I saved him in the forest.
I lift his body to my head and try to hear a heartbeat
But there is nothing
I hold his dead body in my arms
Tears blur my vision as I cry out to him
"Magnus. Please don't leave me. PLEASE MAGNUS. COME BACK! Please-"
But its no use
He was gone.
And it was all my fault
[Present]
"Oh, hello yn my dear. Did you finish with Merlin for the day?" he says to me
I just stand there, frozen
"Yn, are you alright?" He asks as he walks over to me
Tears fall down my face as I just look at him
Alive
It's all my fault
It's all my fault
It's all my fault
I collapse onto my knees on the ground
"Yn!" Magnus says in a panic as he jumps down to me, "Yn, what's wrong? Talk to me."
"You're alive," I say, almost as though in a trance
"Yes, of course I am. Yn, what has happened? Why are you acting so odd?"
I don't answer
"Alright. We need to go talk to Douxie. Maybe he will know what's going on."
I feel myself being lifted and I look to see Magnus had grown into his large cat form and had me riding on his back.
He then sped off to find Douxie
{3rd Person POV}
Douxie had been quite worried when Archie told him Yn had just run off
But he trusted her and knew she would fill him in later, so he headed back to the room he and the others were staying in
"I uh- I forgot how much I hate milking the slorr," Douxie says as he stares at his blue-stained hands
He leans down to sniff them and holds back a barf at their stench.
He smiles mischievously as he holds his hands out to Archie to smell
"Ugh! Please!" Archie says in disgust
Douxie wipes his hands clean as Steve lies in his bunk in pain
"I think Lancelot broke my everything."
"And I still don't have the time map. One wrong move and, and we will screw up history without even knowing it."
The door slams and everyone looks to see Claire holding the door closed
"We have to change history! Arthur's had enough. The trolls are gonna die at sunrise!" she says fearfully
Douxie's eyes widen at her words
"Oh, blimey Balroths! How are we supposed to stop this and stay inconspicuous?" He says as he looks out the window to the sky, worry in his eyes.
"It wouldn't be a problem if I just had my shadow staff. I know you said to lay low, but we can't let Jim die," Claire says
Douxie looks down, contemplating what to do.
"Yes, let's see what future Douxie is capable of," Archie says, knocking his fist lightly on Douxie's head.
"You're right, sod the rules. It's time for a dungeon break. Once Yn gets here we will devise a plan and go to save Jim." Douxie announces with a smile
Claire and Steve smile happily as well while Archie only shake his head
"This can only go so well."
Meanwhile, Magnus was running through the streets with Yn on his back, following Douxie's scent
Yn had seemed to regain herself as she started to talk with him
"So, how ya been?"
"Yn dear, you saw me this morning. What is going on?"
"I'm not sure what you mean," Yn says trying to act innocent
Magnus slows down to a stop and slides Yn off his back. He then turns around to face her
"Enough with the lies. What is going on Yn."
Yn visibly slumps as she looks at Magnus. His purple and gold eyes looked at her sternly. But she could still see the worry filling them.
She sighs and looks away
"Alright, fine. I'm yn, but I'm not your yn. I come from the future," She starts, peeking a glance at Magnus to see his reaction. He waits patiently for her to continue, "Douxie and I got caught up in some time mishap and now we are stuck in the past. We have to try and find a way to get home."
"Alright, that explains a lot then. I assume you two dealt with your past selves already?" He says calmly
"Yeah, we knocked them out and put them in a cupboard."
Magnus hums in acknowledgment
"Alrighty then. Let's go meet up with Douxie shall we? We need to find a way to get you two home without destroying too much of the future."
Magnus had decided not to bring up the fact that Yn had cried at seeing him and had mentioned how he was alive. He could only assume he had died and he decided it would be best to not discuss it with Yn just yet.
He followed Douxie's scent to the room they were all currently staying in and used his tail to knock on the door.
The door is opened by a confused looking Steve who jumps back in surprise at the giant cat
"Aaah! Giant cat!"
"Hello to you too," Magnus says slightly annoyed
"AAH! GIANT CAT TALKS!" Steve yells running away
"Steve, you were fine when Archie first talked, so why is this an issue?" Douxie asks
"Because Archie wasn't giant!"
Douxie rolls his eyes and turns back to the door
"Sorry about that-" He then realizes it's Magnus in the doorway
"Magnus! It's good to see you again- I mean- hello again," Douxie laughs awkwardly, rubbing his neck as he tries to play the part of his past self
"No need for that nonsense, Yn has already filled me in on your situation," Magnus says as he leans down for Yn to jump off
"Yn!" Douxie says, running over to her and hugging her
"I got worried when you disappeared at the barn," He pulls away and holds her at arm's length
"Sorry bout that, I saw Magnus and I had to go see how he was," Douxie nods in understanding
"Ok then, now that everyone's here let's prepare,"
"Prepare for what, exactly?" Magnus asks, skeptical
"For a dungeon break," Douxie repeats to the pair, Yn smiling in reply
{Yn POV}
I stand behind Douxie as he peeks around the poll, checking to see if the coast was clear
I could hear Galahad and Lancelot laughing drunkenly as they talked
Douxie gave us the all-clear and we ran across the room towards the cells of the dungeon
As we are running I look back to see Steve was no longer behind us
Before I can mention it Archie speaks up
"He is just talking with the guards, supposedly to keep them busy."
I nod my head in understanding and focus back in front of me
We turn the corner and Jim comes into view
"Jim!" Claire calls out, happy to see him, "we're breaking you out."
"Your stay in terror tower is over mate," Douxie says as he enchants his knife and cuts open the lock
"And presto, one liberated troll," Archie says
Jim takes an enchanted knife from Douxie and cuts the lock of a green troll.
"Hahaha! Take that, death! I elude you once again-"
"Shhh," Jim says as he covers her mouth, stopping her from continuing her speech
Everyone grabs an enchanted knife and begins to free the creatures locked up
I use my own enchanted knife to start freeing everyone as well.
We group everyone together as Douxie and I begin to lead everyone out of the dungeon.
We can hear the faint voices of the knights above us, but then a sentence louder than the others comes through
"My lord Arthur's in the building. Watch out, yall, he's here to do some creep killing. Get out of here." Steve raps loud enough for us to hear.
He was letting us know Arthur was preparing to kill the creatures.
I smile slightly. Steve is a better wingman than he is given credit for
I can sense the trolls starting to get anxious as Douxie and I turn to them
"Now, now, everyone just stay calm." Douxie tries to tell the trolls
But they don't listen and yell out as they make a break for the exit
"There's no point chasing them, we will have to head them off at the bridge," I say to Douxie
He nods in agreement and we lead Jim, Claire, and the other troll from before down the streets of Camelot.
"Is this a part of your plan?" Archie asks
"We're improvising!" Douxie says as he scrolls through his bracelet
"Ah yes, improvisation, that makes me feel much better about all of this," Magnus says sarcastically
I shoot him a look and he smiles back at me innocently
"Quick, through the alleys! They can't catch all of us." the green troll says as she heads down one ally
The rest of us head down another
We run down the ally and Douxie and I jump down some stairs
I keep my eye on Claire and Jim as she helps him through the streets, ready to defend them if necessary
Douxie leads them down an ally and we hear Arthur behind us
"Did you see where they went?" The king asks us
I make sure to block Jim and Claire from his view as Douxie addresses him
"Quick! In here! This way, sir! Don't worry, sire, I'll freeze them on the spot," He says as he finds a spell on his bracelet
"Then do it!" Arthur says hastily, "This way, men! Charge!"
He and his knights charge through the doorway as Douxie opens a magic doorway in front of them
I smile when I realize what he was doing and I open another doorway right behind us, creating an infinite hallway
Arthur doesn't seem to notice it as he and his knights run through the portals over and over
He seems to realize something is wrong as he stops and looks towards us
"What trickery is this now?"
"Oh, Fuzz buckets!" Douxie says as he pretends to fiddle with his bracelet, "I must have cast an infinite hallway by accident. You know how frustrating magic is. Uh, let me- let me just find the right spell."
Arthur points his sword at me
"Is this your doing, girl?" He asks angrily
"N-no- I-" I try to explain myself but Douxie stands in front of me, shielding me from the sword
I feel fur press against my leg and I see Magnus standing next to me protectively as well
"She has nothing to do with this either sire, it is just a simple miscast. I can fix it though in just one moment." Douxie tells the King as he lowers his sword and Douxie turns his attention back to his bracelet
"Fine. Wizard, remove this enchantment or I'll remove your head!" Arthur says, clearly frustrated
Douxie releases the portal and Arthur and his knights run to the front gates
Douxie and I quickly follow behind them
We run to a roof and Doxuie climbs on top of it, reaching his hand down to help me up as well.
We look oversee the trolls on the bridge and Arthur getting closer
Douxie uses a spell to close the gate just as Arthur and his knights reach it
They all begin to bang on the gate to try and open it
I see Douxie struggling to keep it closed, so I use my own magic to help him
Our F/C and blue magic swirl together on the gate as we manage to keep it closed, protecting the trolls.
However, I notice the sun is forcing the trolls back into the knights awaiting spears
I suddenly start to feel super cold and Douxie and I lose our grip on the gate
Douxie hugs me to his chest as a wind swirls around us
I feel myself getting colder and colder
I can see through a small crack in my eyes that a shadow was being cast across the bridge to allow the trolls to cross safely.
The trolls finally manage to make it all the way across, but Arthur and his knights begin their pursuit
The shadow shrinks back and Douxie pulls away, looking down at me
"Are you alright?" He asks, concern lacing his features
"Yeah, I'm ok," I reply, "Just a little cold."
He nods and then takes my hand as he slides down the roof and begins to run towards the top of the tower where Claire is
We race up to her to see her fully releasing her shadow magic
"By the seven rings, how did you manage that?" He asks, astonished
Claire suddenly falls backward, exhausted.
I race forward and catch her, slowly lowering her to the ground
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Easy!" I say to her, "You used a lot of power just now, you need to rest."
We help her back to the room as I think about what just happened
Claire had used Shadow magic, It reminded me of when Morgana used it in the battle
I get shivers just thinking about it
I feel a hand on my shoulder and I look to see Douxie looking at me with a soft smile
I return it, but the memories still swim around inside my head as we finally reach our room
-Time Skip-
Claire finishes talking with Morgan and enters the room, closing the door behind her.
"Arthur is furious. He's locked down the castle." Douxie says as he paces around the room.
I stand next to Archie and Magnus, picking at my lips anxiously. I feel Magnus rub against me and I look down to see him smiling up at me with worry.
I pet him and refocus as Archie speaks
"Luckily, he thinks you two are so incompetent, you can't be suspected," Archie says to us
"Better than nothing I suppose," I say glumly, "but he's still angry about the escape. There's no telling what he'll do. He might start the battle prematurely or go after Morgan personally or-" Douxie stops my rambling by pulling me into a hug.
I hasn't even noticed but he had called my name a few times.
I stop speaking and I embrace him tightly.
"It'll be ok, yn, we'll figure it out. Together." He tells me, kissing the top of my head.
I blush but nod in response. My face still buried in his chest as I do so.
I hear Claire speak up as I stay in Douxie's embrace for just a little longer
"At least we got Jim and the prisoners away safe."
"True, I'm glad we helped them," I say, finally pulling away from Douxie.
I immediately miss his warmth, but I knew we had to focus on next steps.
Douxie thinks for a moment and then takes my hand as he leads us out the door
"Now where might you two be going?" Magnus asks
"To get that time map. Hopefully, with Arthur on the hunt, I've got a chance to finally snatch that thing," Douxie replies, leading me out and closing the door behind us
We race down to the workshop and Douxie peaks in the door. Once he determines the coast is clear he and I use our magic to light the way to the safe
Douxie tries a combination but all that's there is the skeleton of a gnome
I try a combination but all I get is a horn of some kind.
Douxie tries once more only to get a bird's nest
I'm about to try again when we hear a voice behind us
"Looking for this?"
We gasp in surprise as we both turn to see Merlin sitting at the table, time map in hand.
"Or perhaps this?" He says as he floats our sleeping past selves into view.
Our eyes widen in surprise
"Oh, fuzz buckets," Douxie says as we quickly glance at one another
We were busted.